Yasa villages live predominantly along the coastal plains. Most are fishermen. Women grow cassava and other staples to supplement their diet. Plantains and wild fruit are in abundance when in season.

The living fearing the dead — that's what outsiders would conclude from the elaborate tombstones and explicit memorials surrounding older, plainer homes in a Yasa village. And the outsiders would be right, especially if they learn that these poor fisherman sometimes pay thousands of dollars to bury a loved one.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Church is primarily a social gathering place. Clergy sometimes perform exorcisms or other rituals to help protect believers from the evil spirits they so deeply fear. Few church members understand Christ's work on the cross, and fewer still embrace the freedom and peace implicit in a relationship with the living Savior. Until now, churches have always used another language.

Through Oral Bible Storytelling (OBS), the Yasa will be able to impact their people immediately, without waiting until the orthography is complete.